Stopping by Audacy’s LA studios to fill us in on everything she has going on, Addison Rae talked with Bru all about her dreams to be an entertainer, her artistic evolution, the success of “Diet Pepsi,” and how there’s “no limit” to what’s next.
LISTEN NOW: Addison Rae talks with Bru
Discussing that her dream was always to entertain, Addison, who first gained notable recognition during the TikTok dance boom of 2020, said, “I think I just wanted to the on TV. I think that was kind of a main thing for me, or just talk and perform… That was just always a goal for me."
Growing up as a competitive dancer, “I thought that was going to be something I would do no matter what,” Addison shared. “But then somebody had told me like, you have to do something realistic," she went on to add, noting that at the time she found herself contemplating, “What's a way I can get into the entertainment industry without just saying, 'Oh, I want to move to LA and audition for things or start a music career.' Things that didn't seem very realistic to most people in my hometown.”
Believing that path would begin by going to LSU for Journalism. Her short-lived stint at the university was only a mere pitstop on Addison’s journey of making all her “unrealistic” dreams come true.
Talking about her “love to create,” Addison expressed, “I love making music, I love acting, I love dancing. I think they all fall under this umbrella of creating and performing. And so anything under that realm, there's no limits, you know, nothing's off limits.”
Given her beginnings, starting off solely associated with TikTok and the D’Amelio sisters, then trying something new by starring in Netflix’s gender-swap remake of She’s All That, innovatively titled He’s All That, while simultaneously and unsuccessfully dipping her toe in the music scene with her 2021 single “Obsessed,” all while her blossoming friendship with 20-years older Kourtney Kardashian was making headlines, Addison’s current Rae-naissance was on absolutely no one's 2024 bingo card.
And yet… here we are. Watching her evolve from social media star to rising pop artist.
When asked to describe her artistic evolution through her eyes, Addison said, “I think a lot of growing up… I feel like everyone can relate to this feeling of when you start something, and it feels new… you want to say yes to everything. Maybe it's partially because you're like, will this go away or are these things that are lingering just passing by, and am I going to miss them? And so I think in the beginning I was a really big 'Yes' girl, I want to say yes to everything."
Adding that those FOMO feelings even trickled into her fashion choices. “I remember a few years ago people would be like, ‘Oh my God, she has no taste, no style.’ I'm like, ‘Sorry, I was excited about everything that was getting sent to me.’ I was just wearing whatever I got because it was just so exciting.
However, “as I got older and as I've gone deeper into my career, deeper into myself and gotten more comfortable with saying no,” Addison admitted, “or maybe accepting that sometimes things need to pass you by for other things to come up.”
Remaining mostly under the radar for the past couple of years, Rae resurfaced with a surprise feature on Charli XCX’s remix of "Von Dutch," the lead single from her summer smash-hit album, brat. With its arrival, her public perception began to shift, a momentum that continued on a upward trajectory with the release of her own summery hit single “Diet Pepsi.” Her first Hot 100 charting song, and true turning point in her journey.
Talking about the success of the song, and how it all feels, Addison said, “it's been crazy,” going on to share the song's original title was actually “Backseat,” but after “I played it for Charlie,” Rae revealed, “she was like, what, why isn't the song called Diet Pepsi?”
Addison has already followed up “Diet Pepsi” with a second single “Aquamarine.” Discussing the new track in between the topics of getting advice from Charli, songwriting, and finding the right creative comrades to surround herself with.
Addison delves deeper into the meaning behind “Aquamarine”'s lyrics, sharing, “Well, Aquamarine the stone…it represents rebirth and transformation. So kind of leaned into the perspective of that and what that meant for me, also the movie is amazing… such a beautiful message about friendship.”
Recalling how she told one of the movie’s stars Emma Roberts about the track way before it was even announced, Addison said, “It was a really full circle moment actually because… I was questioning a lot after ‘Diet Pepsi’ came out and it was received so well. In a way, it scared me, you know, because I was like, whoa, people really liked it. Now, the pressure is real and I think it was almost more pressure to prove that it wasn't just like luck in a way.
“So now it's a different kind of approach to things,” she continued, “but it’s amazing and I'm obviously so grateful, and It's been the right kind of push... When people like something you do, there's a new standard… So that was like the universe telling me you're good, trust your gut on ‘Aquamarine’… And people really have been enjoying it, which has been really magical because it's so different than ‘Diet Pepsi’… So it’s been nice to see people respond to both.”
Addison went on to also chat about creating mood boards to find creative concepts for her music videos, and finding inspiration anywhere, sharing what’s currently on her playlist, and what advice she’d give to her younger self, plus more. To catch it all, check out Addison Rae’s entire interview above.